How to Set Up a Proxy on a Mac (macOS Sequoia, Sonoma and Ventura)
To set a proxy on a Mac, open System Settings → Network, select your connection (for example Wi-Fi), click Details, then Proxies. Turn on Web proxy (HTTP) and Secure web proxy (HTTPS), or SOCKS proxy, enter the server and port, switch on Proxy server requires password if needed, and click OK. The setting applies to that network service only, and Safari, Chrome and most Mac apps follow it.
- setup
- macos
- proxy settings
Table of contents
Step by step
- 1Open System Settings and choose Network in the sidebar.
- 2Click the connection you use — Wi-Fi or Ethernet — then Details….
- 3Select Proxies.
- 4For an HTTP proxy, turn on Web proxy (HTTP) and Secure web proxy (HTTPS). For SOCKS5, turn on SOCKS proxy instead.
- 5Enter the Server and Port from your proxy dashboard for each one you enabled.
- 6Turn on Proxy server requires password and enter your proxy username and password.
- 7Optionally add hosts to Bypass proxy settings for these hosts & domains.
- 8Click OK.
Use the same HTTP proxy address for both the HTTP and HTTPS entries. The HTTPS entry means ‘use this proxy for HTTPS sites’, not ‘connect to the proxy over TLS’.
From Terminal
# List network services to get the exact name
networksetup -listallnetworkservices
# HTTP and HTTPS proxy with authentication
networksetup -setwebproxy "Wi-Fi" PROXY_HOST PROXY_PORT on USERNAME PASSWORD
networksetup -setsecurewebproxy "Wi-Fi" PROXY_HOST PROXY_PORT on USERNAME PASSWORD
# Or SOCKS5
networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxy "Wi-Fi" PROXY_HOST SOCKS_PORT on USERNAME PASSWORD
# Turn them off again
networksetup -setwebproxystate "Wi-Fi" off
networksetup -setsecurewebproxystate "Wi-Fi" off
networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxystate "Wi-Fi" offWhich apps follow the macOS proxy
| Application | Follows the system proxy? | Otherwise |
|---|---|---|
| Safari, Chrome, Edge | Yes | — |
| Firefox | Optional | Settings → Network Settings → Use system proxy settings |
| Most App Store apps | Usually | — |
| Terminal tools (cURL, git, pip) | No | Environment variables or tool config |
| Some games and Electron apps | Varies | In-app setting |
SOCKS5 and HTTP on the same account
Residential from €1.20/GB and ISP from €1.80/IP, with separate HTTP and SOCKS5 ports and username or IP authentication.
Check that it works
Load our IP checker in Safari. It should show the proxy's address and country. If pages fail to load, turn the proxy off, confirm the port with curl -v -x http://PROXY_HOST:PROXY_PORT https://example.com, and see cURL proxy errors for what the output means.
When you switch networks
Because the proxy belongs to a network service, joining a different Wi-Fi keeps it, but plugging in Ethernet does not. If you want the proxy on every connection, configure each service. If you only want it for certain apps, leave the system alone and set the proxy inside those apps, or use a per-profile proxy in an anti-detect browser.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up a proxy on a Mac?
Open System Settings, Network, select your connection, click Details, then Proxies. Turn on Web proxy and Secure web proxy, or SOCKS proxy, enter the server and port, add your username and password if required, and click OK.
Does macOS support SOCKS5 proxies?
Yes. Turn on SOCKS proxy in the Proxies settings of your network connection and enter the SOCKS server, port and credentials.
Can I set a proxy on macOS from Terminal?
Yes, with networksetup. For example, networksetup -setwebproxy "Wi-Fi" host port on user pass sets an authenticated HTTP proxy for the Wi-Fi service.
Why does Terminal not use my Mac proxy?
Command-line tools read proxy settings from environment variables such as HTTPS_PROXY rather than from System Settings. Export the variables or configure each tool.
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